1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of photographic cameras, and in particular to camera apparatus for facilitating manual insertion of a 35 mm film cartridge into the camera body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally speaking, commercially available 35 mm film cartridges such as manufactured by Eastman Kodak Company, comprise a hollow cylindrical shell having an integral throat or lipped portion which extends tangentially from the shell. A film spool on which the filmstrip is wound is freely rotatable within the cylindrical shell. The filmstrip has a leading end section, commonly referred to as a "film leader", which extends through a light-trapped slit in the throat portion to the outside of the shell. Typically, the film leader is 2-3 inches in length and is normally curled about the shell.
When loading a conventional camera with such a film cartridge, a rear door of the camera body is widely opened. Then, the cartridge with the film leader held uncurled from around the cylindrical shell is inserted into a rear loading chamber in the camera body. The manually straightened leader is positioned with its leading tip adjacent a take-up drum in the camera body, and with one or more of its perforations in engagement with a corresponding number of teeth of a metering sprocket located between the take-up drum and the loading chamber. This film loading operation is rather troublesome and requires a certain amount of skill and manual dexterity. Accordingly, it is rather difficult for certain people.
More recently, several bottom loading cameras have been proposed which include simple means for automatically uncurling the film leader from around the cylindrical shell as the film cartridge is inserted endwise, i.e. axially, through a bottom opening to the loading chamber in the camera body. For example, in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,453, granted Jun. 1, 1982, the automatic uncurling means comprises a quarter-round corner located adjacent the loading chamber in the camera body and an inclined straight edge extending generally along the bottom of the camera body. When a bottom door of the camera body is widely opened and the cartridge is initially inserted into the loading chamber, a full width (uncut) section of the film leader adjacent the throat portion of the cartridge is pushed against the quarter-round corner. The quarter-round corner in turn deflects the full width section of the leader to position a reduced width (cut) section of the leader forward of the full width section crosswise against the inclined straight edge. Then, with continued insertion of the cartridge into the loading chamber, the reduced width section of the leader is progressively straightened by its movement against the inclined straight edge. Thus, the film leader is progressively uncurled as the cartridge is inserted axially into the loading chamber. This manner of film loading requires that the user be educated to a non-traditional approach.
A third manner of film loading is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,547, granted Dec. 14, 1982. There, the loading chamber is pivotally supported for swinging movement out of the camera body to receive the film cartridge axially. The loading chamber includes a spindle for the cartridge which is continuously coupled with a drive mechanism in the camera body. This arrangement increases manufacturing costs to a significant extent.